Not so long ago people used to travel out to Vizhinjam to drink in the colourful sights of the fishing harbour or haggle over the day’s catch. Punchakkiri and its lush paddy fields was until recently a place to spot migratory birds in plenty and Velliyazhcha Kavu was just another signpost on a back road to Varkala. Today, these hamlets that are off-the-beaten-track are also popular dining destinations thanks to foodies in the city who don’t mind travelling kilometres and kilometres merely to satiate their taste buds.
This Sunday past, for example, a colleague and her family, drove out to Vizhinjam — easily an hour’s journey on any good day — just to lunch at Ustad Hotel, a popular local shack near the harbour that dishes up varieties of fried seafood. The previous day, a bunch of friends and I Google-mapped our way to Punchakkiri’s famed toddy shop solely to savour the joint’s signature ethnic treats such as kappa and fish head curry, while a few acquaintances in Technopark travelled 40-plus km to a thattukada in Madathikonam, somewhere near Neyyar dam, to feast on it’s famous pork thoran!
It’s become quite the fad with the foodies in the city to hop into their cars and bikes, often with family and friends in tow (the more people, the merrier), brave the traffic and bump along unpaved roads, merely to dine at tiny joints in the outlying areas of the district — and make a mini adventure out of it in the process.
“It’s a way of making a meal an experience. There’s something exciting about going out of your way, often on a whim, to less than snazzy establishments, just to have good food or rather the best food there is,” said a filmmaker friend, who accompanied us to Punchakkiri, taking in the nondescript surroundings, in between demolishing a plateful of fried varaal , the morning’s catch from around Vellayani lake nearby. “I’ve found that one of the best ways of experiencing a place is through its food,” chips in a California-based friend, who was also with us.
For others, it’s all about fun, food and camaraderie. Chef Christo Jose and his bunch of foodie friends, who go by the name Wheels and Flavours, meet up specifically to dine out. “There are 17 of us and we make plans on Whatsapp and get-together to check out new places, especially joints that dish up ethnic eats. We’ve been to Hotel Rajila in Valiyathura for its mutton dishes; Sasi annan’s shop in Paappanchani, for his wholesome combo of puttu and chicken perattu; Velliyazhchakavu toddy shop for it’s to-die-for kappa and thala curry, Punchakkiri shaap, dined on Kattachalkuzhi chicken...,” he says.
Punchakkiri toddy shop
IT professional Linta Gilfred utilises free weekends, whenever she is in the city, to explore dining options. “One of my favourite trips is to Vazhiyorakada, beyond Kilimannoor, to eat kappa and thala curry,” says Linta. She then writes about in the company’s weekly newsletter and on food forums online. “These places are a joy to discover and it’s my way of introducing people to my home town,” she explains.
Government employee and foodie Ajith Kumar T.L. believes that these quaint joints have a few things going for them that makes them popular, despite the fact that many of them are run-of-the-mill and you can dine only after turning a blind eye to the surroundings. “Mostly you’ll be sitting on rickety furniture — if there is any — and almost always eating off a banana leaf, which adds to the charm, in my book. Most of these shops are run by villagers for fellow villagers and as such the food tends to be authentic local cuisine, cooked as one would at home with freshly prepared masalas and served with a lot of TLC,” says Ajith. He regularly posts updates of his food travels on food forums online, most recently about Akshayapatra, a restaurant in Nettar near Chittar dam, along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, renowned for dishes made of puzhameen (fresh river fish). “For several years now, I have been travelling in search of good food, with my wife, Vineetha, and sometimes with friends. I hear about a place usually through word of mouth and visit the place as soon as I get some free time. Once we drove all the way to Karimpumkala restaurant in Kottayam just to have its pork olath and to Thirumullavaram in Kollam to sample Chandran chettan’s kappa, thala curry and chemablli (red snapper) fry. Closer home, we heard about a small joint in Kanavoorkonam, a few km from Vellarada, and discovered it’s stellar menu of pork, emu, rabbit and turkey! In fact, pork is a staple dish in the Neyyar dam area and there are several such joints that dish it up,” he explains.
While many of the joints have been around for years now, decades even, it’s only recently that they have been ‘discovered,’ and that’s mostly thanks to food forums on social media. “I used to be chef on a cruise line. I am a foodie and I have a yen for travelling. Once I moved to Thiruvananthapuram, social media helped me discover a lot of eateries that have now become firm favourites,” says Christo.
There’s also a flipside to the spike in numbers at these joints, say foodies. On weekends and holidays, it means long queues to contend with, in addition to the time it takes to get there. “Many restaurants are open only at specific times. Also, restaurants tend to run out of their signature dishes fairly quickly so it’s best to call and enquire before making the trip. You might not always end up liking the places or the dishes but it’s always a trip seasoned with adventure,” says Ajith.
Foodie picks
Kappa, thala curry and varaal fry at Punchakkari toddy shop (Contact: 7510911558)
Mutton boti and Mutton brain fry at Hotel Rajila, near Valiyathura (9995072797)
Duck curry at Vazhiyorakada, Pazhayakunnumel (9288032195)
Puttu and naadan kozhi pirattu at Sasi annan’s kada at Paappanchani, Vellayani (Contact: 9544341169)
Chicken pirattu at Krishna Hotel, Kattachalkuzhi, Balaramapuram (0471-2404836)
Choora, Kanava and prawns fry at Ustad Hotel, Vizhinjam (9995853502) and Yasin Hotel, Vizhinjam (9633634126)
Pork thoran/pirattu at Thattukada, Madathikonam near Kattakada (Contact: 9747497043)
